morning cram [savvy edition]

Al-Qaida’s English-language online magazine Inspire has sparked a frenzy of activity in the counterterrorism community, reacting to its savvy western-editorial style.

~NPR reads one of the magazine’s headlines: “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”

KENTUCKY~ McCracken County Schools face sticker shock from higher than expected construction bids and nearby Contest Road is closed today. Mayfield’s Zoning Board will again review the city’s permit denial for a mosque there. Murray’s Chamber of Commerce plans to survey its members on what they think of city services. State tax collections are up!

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville’s mayoral candidates differ on industrial recruiting.

ILLINOIS~ Metropolis’ United Steel Workers and Honeywell Corp head to the negotiation table (again) today.

morning cram [toxie’s dead edition]

Toxie, NPR‘s Planet Money toxic asset pet, died this week. She was killed by one of the worst housing busts in U.S. history.

~NPR illustrates Toxie’s life on the Planet Money blog.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah’s Housing Authority is going to be a lot more big brother-like next summer. Murray’s mayoral candidates will debate @ MSU in October. Mayfield will vote next month on the ACLU’s request to reverse its mosque denial. State Police find a gun and drugs during an I-24 traffic stop. Lawmakers hear more about state furloughs from Beshear’s Personnel Secretary. Rep. Whitfield wants to make it easier to dispose of prescription/controlled substances. The state’s No Child Left Behind test scores are disappointing.

TENNESSEE~ A federal judge rules the state’s ballot requirements for 3rd parties is unconstitutional.

morning cram [online arms edition]

Why is there no arms control measure that would apply to the use of cyberweapons?

~NPR reports it isn’t for lack of attention to the issue.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah’s BBQ on the River starts up today. State Police investigators rule a 2009 Graves County death was a suicide, but the local Coroner disagrees. The ACLU asks Mayfield to reverse it’s mosque-block. A Gilbertsville hotel owner accused of running a bar in a dry county claims he was unfairly targeted. 5 soldiers killed when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan were assigned to Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne.

TENNESSEE~ Police: 2 men (dressed in drag) robbed a Clarksville bank yesterday.

morning cram [taxilicious edition]

The income tax is only part of the picture. There are property taxes, sales taxes and even taxes built into every cell phone bill.

~NPR documents how almost a quarter of one American family’s income goes to taxes.

KENTUCKY~ Four MSU faculty vie for a position on the school’s Board of Regents, citing  salaries as a top priority. A Nashville-based pro-Islamic group wants to break the ice between Mayfield and local Somali Muslims (who were recently denied a permit to build a mosque there). A Providence man dies in a car wreck. Hopkinsville opts to freeze its property taxes this year. Burn bans are in effect across the region (not in Calloway County though). A Fort Campbell captain died in Afghanistan. The state plans to scale back its public flu prevention campaign. Can Kentucky execute?

TENNESSEE~ Montgomery County commissioners will vote next week on whether or not to fund building a new airport terminal. A Clarksville city councilman gets fined for ethics violations. A report finds TVA’s massive coal ash spill barely endangered the public health.

ILLINOIS~ Nuclear regulators continue to monitor the Honeywell plant.

morning cram [tea spider starfish party edition]

Tea Party fave book The Starfish and the Spider shows the decentralized political movement is more like a starfish than a spider, because it can survive and regenerate without a head.

~NPR deciphers this biological-based analogy.

KENTUCKY~ The lawyer for the Mayfield Somali Muslim accused of attempted kidnapping hints he’ll push for a change of venue and Islamaca International may sue Mayfield over the recent denial of a mosque there. 4 McCracken County juveniles get cited for tagging. Work began  yesterday on a new 4-lane bridge over the Tennessee River near Ledbetter. Williams and Farmer chatted with reporters about their bid for governor. MSU and Murray Hospital will team up to host 10 UK Medicine students (in 2014). The Family Foundation outlines its grief with Instant Racing. State Park employees will be working this Labor Day weekend despite statewide furloughs (they’ll take off later this month). Proposed NRA-backed hunting legislation will be reviewed by legislators next year. Lexington’s World Equestrian Games gets bailed out by sponsors.

TENNESSEE~ A Clarksville woman dies in a 1-car accident. Bredesen creates a council to study soldiers‘ mental health and substance abuse. The General Assembly’s website gets props from the Center for Digital Government.

morning cram [fishin’ edition]

“The fishing industry is based mostly in cash, so many cannot provide documented proof of work.”

NPR has more.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah school officials: still no clear idea where to build a new middle school.  2 more Fort Campbell soldiers died in Afghanistan (23 since deployment). A WWII vet is awarded a Bronze Star for a heroic feat 65 years ago. Beshear warns federal lawmakers’ quarreling may endanger the state’s unemployed. VP Biden talks to Louisville General Electric workers.

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville Marina contractor needs 144 more days to finish excavation work. A hearing to review federal agencies’ flood response is slated for next month. The state finally begins a federal energy rebate program. Bredesen signs the jailer/immigration check into law.

ILLINOIS~ Nuclear producer Honeywell locks union workers out of the plant.  Metropolis passes a 15-year  sewer separation plan after a state EPA mandate.

morning cram [sp-oil edition]

“We’re seeing already an increase in suspiciousness, arguing, domestic violence… increased drinking, anxiety, anger and avoidance.” ~ from NPR, on the health effects of the Gulf oil spill

KENTUCKY~ 70 applicants (so far) want to be Paducah’s next City Manager and commissioners approve some incentive deals with 2 major employers there. Last month’s LowerTown Arts/Music Festival netted the local economy +$131k. MSU takes in $1 million for science/technology equipment. A Hopkinsville fraud trial gets put on the back burner so the feds can prosecute. Another Fort Campbell hero was killed in Afghanistan. Rand Paul is wearing flippy floppies (taking money from bank bailout senators after promising not to). The state’s Democratic Party has a new Chairman and he donates to both parties.

TENNESSEE~ ACLU: Jailed immigrant bill will create a ‘police state’. The state Supreme Court will hold a summit to find ways to make more legal services free to the public.